Creating the
Consultative Sales
Presentation
Concepts and Practices
Six-Step Presentation
Plan
1.

Approach (Chapter 10)
2.
Presentation
3.
Demonstration
4.
Negotiation
5.
Close
6.
Servicing the Sale
11-2
Strategic Planning
Leads to Actions
11-3
FIGURE 11.2
Strategic Planning
11-4
Four-Part Consultative Sales
Presentation Guide
FIGURE 11.3
11-5
Need Discovery
FIGURE 11.4
11-6
Value of Questioning
“The effective use of questions to achieve need
identification and need satisfaction is the single greatest
challenge facing most professional salespeople. The types
of questions you ask, the timing of those questions, and
how you pose them greatly impacts your ability to create
customer value.”
11-7
Types of Questions
 Survey
 Probing
 Confirmation
 Need-satisfaction
11-8
Survey Questions
 Information gathering questions designed to obtain
this knowledge
 General survey questions
 Specific survey questions
 Not to be used for factual information one could
acquire from other sources prior to the sales call
11-9
Discussion Questions
 What sort of factual information should you research
and understand about the customer’s company before
meeting with him/her?
 From what sources could you derive this information?
For suggestions, see Monster.com.
11-10
Need Discovery Worksheet
 Strategically prepare tentative questions before making the
sales call
 Prepare open and closed questions
 “Tell me a little bit about your investment portfolio?”
(open/general survey)
 “What are your major concerns when managing your
financial affairs?” (open/specific survey)
 See Table 11.2 in the text
11-11
Probing Questions
 Help to uncover and clarify the prospect’s buying
problem and circumstances
 Are referred to as implication or pain questions and
used more frequently in large, complex sales
 Help the salesperson and customer gain a mutual
understanding of why a problem is important
11-12
Using Probing Questions
Probing questions can help a customer realize how
a problem (high employee turnover) can have other
consequences (undertrained staff, lower customer
satisfaction, and less revenue), building more value
for the salesperson’s offering (on-site training).
What are some questions you could ask to discover
the full extent of the following problems?
 High employee turnover
• Slow turnaround
 Outdated technology
• High costs
11-13
Confirmation Questions
 Verify accuracy and assure a mutual understanding of
information exchanged
 Summary-confirmation questions
 Buying conditions are those qualifications that must
be available or fulfilled before the sale can be closed
11-14
Need-Satisfaction
Questions
 Designed to move the sales process toward
commitment and action
 Focus on specific benefits
 Are powerful because they build desire for the solution
and give ownership of the solution to the prospect
11-15
Listening and
Acknowledging
 Develop active listening skills
 Focus your full attention
 Paraphrase the customer’s meaning
 Take notes
11-16
Develop Your Active Listening
 You can develop your active listening skills
 Try the suggestions on the following Websites
iamnext.com
studygs.net
mindtools.com
11-17
Selecting Solutions
that Add Value
FIGURE 11.5
11-18
Match Specific Benefits
with Buying Motives
 Buying based on need-fulfillment
 Buyers seek cluster of satisfactions
 Focus on benefits related to each dimension of value
11-19
Configure a Solution
 Most salespeople have variety of products
 Package solution from your array of products
11-20
Appropriate Recommendations:
Three Alternatives
 Recommend solution: customer buys immediately
 Recommend solution: salesperson makes need-satisfaction
presentation
 Recommend another source
11-21
Need Satisfaction:
Selecting Presentation Strategy
FIGURE 11.6
11-22
Informative Presentation Strategy
 Emphasizes facts
 Commonly used to introduce new products and
services
 Stress clarity, simplicity, and directness
 Less is more—beware of
information overload
11-23
Persuasive Presentation Strategy
 To influence the prospect’s beliefs, attitudes, or
behavior and to encourage buyer action
 Used when a need is identified
 Subtle seller transition from rational to emotional
appeals
 Requires training and experience to be effective
11-24
Reminder Presentation Strategy
 Also known as “reinforcement presentations”
 Maintains product awareness
 Good when working with repeat customers
 Sometimes a dimension of service after the sale
11-25
Developing Persuasive Presentations
that Create Value
 Emphasize relationship
 Sell benefits, obtain customer reactions
 Minimize negative impact of change
 Strongest appeal at start or end
 Target emotional links
 Use metaphors, stories, testimonials
11-26
General Guidelines for
Value-Added Presentations
 Demonstration adds strength
 Plan negotiating and closing methods
 Plan customer service to add value
 Keep presentation simple, concise
11-27
Time Used by Salesperson
FIGURE 11.7
11-28
Review of Strategies
11-29
Transactional Buyers
 Primarily interested in price and
convenience
 May have already done research, used
Internet to gather product information
 Most understand what they need and
when they need it
 Focus on price and delivery
11-30